Inception Trivia: 'Dream with in a Dream'
(Total Trivia Entries: 74)

Casting | Screenplay & Production | Quotes

Interested in finding out how Christopher Nolan came up with the story of Inception, keep on reading Inception trivia to access the answers.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan
Starring:
Leonardo DiCaprio - Cobb
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Arthur
Ellen Page - Ariadne
Tom Hardy - Eames
Ken Watanabe - Saito
Dileep Rao - Yusuf
Cillian Murphy - Robert Fischer, Jr.
Tom Berenger - Browning
Marion Cotillard - Mal
Pete Postlethwaite - Maurice Fischer
Michael Caine - Miles
Lukas Haas - Nash
Earl Cameron - Elderly Man

Casting:

Leonardo DiCaprio was Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas's only choice for the role of Cobb.

Leonardo DiCaprio was the first actor to be cast in the film. Apparently Nolan had been trying to work with the actor for years and met him several times, but was unable to convince him to appear in any of his films until Inception. DiCaprio finally agreed because
he was "intrigued by this concept, this dream-heist notion and how this character's going to unlock his dreamworld and ultimately affect his real life."

When DiCaprio read the script he found it to be "very well written, comprehensive but you really had to have Chris in person, to try to articulate some of the things that have been swirling around his head for the last eight years."

DiCaprio and Nolan spent months talking about the screenplay. Nolan took a long time re-writing the script in order "to make sure that the emotional journey of his character was the driving force of the movie."

The name of Leonardo DiCaprio's character is the same as that of one of the main characters in Christopher Nolan's first feature film, Following (1998). Furthermore, both characters have the same profession, which is that they are supposedly thieves.

James Franco was in talks with Christopher Nolan to play Arthur, but was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts.

Apparently Joseph Gordon-Levitt went to his audition after a brief character summary, wearing a full suit "just in case", unknowingly matching his character's wardrobe perfectly.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt performed all his own stunts during the fight scene in the rotating hallway.

Christopher Nolan's first choice to play Ariadne was Evan Rachel Wood, but she turned it down. Nolan then considered casting Emily Blunt, Rachel McAdams, Emma Roberts, Jessy Schram, Taylor Swift and Carey Mulligan. In the end he chose Ellen Page.

Ariadne, in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Minos of Crete and his queen, Pasiphae. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur (her half brother) by giving him a ball of red fleece thread that she was spinning, so that he could find his way out of the Minotaur's labyrinth.

Kate Winslet was considered for the role of Mal, but she turned it down, citing that she couldn't see herself as the character.

Marion Cotillard's character is called 'Mal', a word meaning wrong/bad/evil or pain in French, Spanish and Portuguese.

'Saito' is one of the ten most common Japanese surnames, especially in northeastern Japan. The Saito descend from Fujiwara no Nobumochi, a 10th-century head of the Saigu Shrine. The meaning of Saito is "purifying flower".

Apparently the role of Saito was written exclusively for Ken Watanabe because Christopher Nolan felt that although he had appeared in Batman Begins (2005), he did not have much screen time, and should therefore be given a more prominent supporting role.

Robert "Bobby" Fischer is also the name of an American chess player and the eleventh World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. He bears a striking resemblance to Cillian Murphy, whose character's name is Robert Fischer in the movie.

This is the third Christopher Nolan movie in which Cillian Murphy's character spends a significant portion of his on-screen time with a cloth bag over his head.

Pete Postlethwaite character is named Maurice Fischer as an homage to artist M.C Escher (full name Maurits Cornelis Escher), whose art was clearly an inspiration for many of the special effects in the film.

"Yusuf" is the Arabic form of "Joseph", the Biblical figure from Genesis 37-50, who had the gift of interpreting dreams. He was sold out by his brothers to Pharaoh. Through his gift of dream interpretation he helped Pharaoh to prepare for the disaster of the "seven lean years" and was rewarded as a result. The same character is also a Prophet in the Koran.

This is Tom Berenger's first film to receive a wide theatrical release in the U.S. since Training Day (2001).

There are a total of five Academy Award nominees in the cast; Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Berenger, Pete Postlethwaite, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page. There are also two Academy Award Winners; Michael Caine and Marion Cotillard.

The following cast in this movie started in TV as children; Leonardo DiCaprio first started appearing on TV as a regular in "Parenthood" (1990) and "Growing Pains" (1985), Joseph Gordon-Levitt had his first TV roles at age seven, Ellen Page by age 10 started as a regular on the series "Pit Pony" (1999) and while still in kindergarten Lukas Haas made his film debut in Testament (1983).

There's a cameo appearance from Christopher Nolan's cousin, Miranda Nolan as an air hostess.

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Screenplay & Production:

Nolan first pitched the film to Warner Bros. in 2001, but then felt that he needed more experience making large-scale films, and embarked on Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). He soon realized that a film like Inception needed a large budget because as he's stated, "as soon as you’re talking about dreams, the potential of the human mind is infinite. And so the scale of the film has to feel infinite. It has to feel like you could go anywhere by the end of the film. And it has to work on a massive scale."

Christopher Nolan has stated the Inception was first developed based on the notion of "exploring the idea of people sharing a dream space, entering a dream space and sharing a dream. That gives you the ability to access somebody’s unconscious mind. What would that be used and abused for?" Furthermore, he thought "being able to extract information from somebody’s brain would be the obvious use of that because obviously any other system where it’s computers or physical media, whatever, things that exist outside the mind, they can all be stolen...up until this point, or up until this movie I should say, the idea that you could actually steal something from somebody’s head was impossible. So that, to me, seemed a fascinating abuse or misuse of that kind of technology."

When writing Inception Nolan drew inspiration from the works of Jorge Luis Borges.

Nolan had thought about these ideas about dreams on and off since he was sixteen years old, intrigued by how he would wake up and then, while falling back into a lighter sleep, hold on to the awareness that he was dreaming, a lucid dream. He also became aware of
the feeling that he could study the place and alter the events of the dream. He has been stated as saying, "I tried to work that idea of manipulation and management of a conscious dream being a skill that these people have. Really the script is based on those common, very basic experiences and concepts, and where can those take you? And the only outlandish idea that the film presents, really, is the existence of a technology that allows you to enter and share the same dream as someone else."

Harvard University dream researcher Deirdre Barrett has sated that regarding dreaming, Nolan has not got every detail accurate, but that films which really do that tend to have illogical, rambling, disjointed plots which wouldn’t make for a great thriller. She said "But he did get many aspects right," citing one of the first scenes in which a sleeping DiCaprio is shoved into a full bath and water starts gushing into the windows of the building he is dreaming, waking him up. "That's very much how real stimuli get incorporated, and you very often wake up right after that intrusion."

Initially, Nolan had written an 80-page treatment about dream-stealers. He had envisioned Inception as a horror film, but eventually wrote it as a heist film even though he found that "traditionally they are very deliberately superficial in emotional terms." Upon revisiting his script, he decided that basing it in that genre did not work because as he has stated the story, "relies so heavily on the idea of the interior state, the idea of dream and memory. I realized I needed to raise the emotional stakes."

It has been stated that Nolan worked on the script for about nine to ten years.

When he first started thinking about making the film, Nolan was influenced by "that era of movies where you had The Matrix (1999), you had Dark City (1998), you had The Thirteenth Floor (1999) and, to a certain extent, you had Memento (2000), too. They were based in the principles that the world around you might not be real."

After making The Dark Knight (2008), Nolan decided to make Inception and spent six months completing the script. Nolan states that the key to completing the script was wondering what would happen if several people shared the same dream. "Once you remove the privacy, you’ve created an infinite number of alternative universes in which people can meaningfully interact, with validity, with weight, with dramatic consequences."

On February 11, 2009, it was announced that Warner Bros. purchased Inception, a spec script written by Nolan.

The first letter of each of the main character's first names; Dom, Robert, Eames, Arthur/Ariadne, Mal, Saito, all put together spell the word DREAMS.

Principal photography began in Tokyo on June 19, 2009 for the scene where Saito first hires Cobb during a helicopter flight over the city.

The production then moved to England and shot in Cardington, a converted airship hangar north of London. It was there that a long hotel corridor was constructed by production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, and cinematographer Wally Pfister. This corridor was able to rotate a full 360 degrees to create the effect of alternate directions of gravity for scenes where dream-sector physics become chaotic.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays Arthur, performed all his own stunts during the fight scene in the spinning hallway.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt spent several weeks learning to fight in a corridor that spun like "a giant hamster wheel". Nolan said of the device, "It was like some incredible torture device; we thrashed Joseph for weeks, but in the end we looked at the footage, and it looks unlike anything any of us has seen before. The rhythm of it is unique, and when you watch it, even if you know how it was done, it confuses your perceptions. It's unsettling in a wonderful way". Gordon-Levitt remembered, "it was six-day weeks of just, like, coming home at night fuckin' battered...The light fixtures on the ceiling are coming around on the floor, and you have to choose the right time to cross through them, and if you don't, you're going to fall."

On July 15, 2009, filming took place at University College London library for the scene between Cobb and Miles. The signage of the library was changed to read the French for Library, "bibliotheque".

Filming then moved to France where they shot the pivotal scene between Ariadne and Cobb at a Paris bistro. For the explosion that takes place during this scene, the local authorities would not allow the actual use of explosives. The production used high-
pressure nitrogen to create the effect of a series of explosions. Cinematographer, Wally Pfister used six high-speed cameras to capture the sequence from different angles and make sure that they got the shot. The visual effects department enhanced the sequence, adding more destruction and flying debris.

Production was then moved to Tangiers, which doubled for Mombasa, where Cobb hires Eames and Yusuf. A foot chase was shot in the streets and alleyways of the historic Grand Souk. To capture this sequence, cinematographer, Pfister, employed a mix of hand-held camera and Steadicam work. Tangiers was also used to film an important riot scene during the initial foray into Saito's mind.

Filming moved to the Los Angeles, California area where some sets were built on a Warner Bros. sound stage, including the interior rooms of Saito's Japanese-style castle. The dining room was inspired by the Nijo Castle built around 1603. These sets were inspired by a mix of Japanese architecture and Western influences.

The barrel chairs in Saito's dining room were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his famous house, Fallingwater. The owners of Fallingwater didn't like them, so they were never used there.

LA was also used for production of the multi-vehicle car chase on the streets Inception Trivia

of downtown L.A. and this also involved bringing a freight train down the middle of a street. To do this, the filmmakers configured a train engine on the chassis of a tractor trailer. The replica was made from fiberglass molds taken from authentic train parts and then matched in terms of color and design.

The car chase scene was supposed to be set in the midst of a downpour so as to present an increased risk that the flying water might "kick" the participants out of the dream-within-a-dream, but the L.A. weather stayed typically sunny. The filmmakers were forced to set up elaborate effects (e.g., rooftop water cannons) to give the audience the impression that the weather was overcast and soggy.

L.A. was also the site of the climactic scene where the Ford Econoline van flies off the Commodore Schuyler F. Heim Bridge in slow motion. This sequence was filmed one day on and one day off for months with the van being shot out of a cannon according to actor Dileep Rao. Capturing the actors suspended within the van in slow motion took a whole day to film. Once the van landed in the water the challenge for the actors was not to panic. According to Cillian Murphy, "And when they ask you to act, it's a bit of an ask." The actors had to hold their breath for four to five minutes while drawing air from scuba tanks.

The final phase of principal photography took place near Calgary, Alberta, Canada in late November 2009. The location manager discovered a closed ski resort known as the Fortress Mountain Resort. An elaborate set was assembled on top of a mountain, taking three months to build. The production had to wait for a huge snowstorm, which eventually arrived.

Nolan did not shoot any footage with IMAX cameras as he had with The Dark Knight (2008). He stated, "We didn’t feel that we were going to be able to shoot in IMAX because of the size of the cameras because this film given that it deals with a potentially surreal area, the nature of dreams and so forth, I wanted it to be as realistic as possible. Not be bound by the scale of those IMAX cameras, even though I love the format dearly".

Nolan also chose not to shoot any of the film in 3-D as he believes that shooting on digital video does not offer a high enough quality image. He also claimed "it will distract the storytelling experience of Inception".

For the dream sequences in Inception, Nolan kept the computer-generated effects to a minimum and preferred to use practical methods whenever possible. Nolan said, "It's always very important to me to do as much as possible in-camera, and then, if
necessary, computer graphics are very useful to build on or enhance what you have achieved physically."

Visual effects supervisor Paul Franklin built a miniature of the Fortress Mountain Resort set and then blew it up for the film. For the fight scene that takes place in zero-gravity, he used CG-based effects to "subtly bend elements like physics, space and time."

The most challenging effect was Limbo City at the end of the film because it continually developed during production. Franklin had artists build concepts while Nolan gave his ideal vision; "Something glacial, with clear modernist architecture, but with chunks of it breaking off into the sea like icebergs". Franklin and his team ended up with "something that looked like an iceberg version of Gotham City with water running through it." They created a basic model of a glacier and then designers created a program that added elements like roads, intersections and ravines until they had a complex, yet organic-looking, cityscape.

For the Paris-folding sequence, visual effects supervisor, Paul Franklin, had artists producing concept sketches and then they created rough computer animations to give them an idea of what the sequence looked like while in motion. Later during principal photography, Nolan was able to direct Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page based on this rough computer animation Franklin had created.

Inception had approx. 500 visual effects shots, this is considered minor in comparison to contemporary visual effects epics that can have around 1,500 or 2,000 VFX shots.

During production, details of the film's plot were kept secret. Christopher Nolan, who wrote the script, cryptically described it as a contemporary sci-fi action thriller "set within the architecture of the mind."

The labyrinthine style of the movie's logo resembles the logo of Christopher Nolan's production company Syncopy.

As in Christopher Nolan's previous movie The Dark Knight (2008), no second unit team were hired for making the movie. All the shots were filmed by Nolan himself with his usual DOP Wally Pfister.

As Cobb, Arthur, Saito and Nash rise out of the dreams in the first sequence, there is a clear shot of a clock running backwards in each scene.

When explaining why he thinks inception, i.e. implanting an idea is not possible, Arthur says "don't think about elephants" to actually make Saito think of them and thus "insert" an idea into his mind. This line is a reference to the title of a famous cognitive semantics book; 'Don't Think of an Elephant' by George Lakoff. The book describes conceptual framing, the use of certain words to literally insert certain ideas about a subject into the listener's mind in a surreptitious way, e.g. implanting the idea that taxes are a bad thing by using the phrase "tax relief."

The infinite staircase that Arthur shows Ariadne is properly attributed as a Penrose impossible object. M.C. Escher was not the originator of these concepts, but only referenced them artistically.

The "paradox staircase", that Arthur shows Ariadne and where we see a Inception Trivia

woman perpetually picking up papers, is a reference to a lithograph print by the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher. The print is usually called "Ascending and Descending" or "The Infinite Staircase", and was first printed in March 1960. Escher is well-known for his drawings exploring optical illusions and real architectural, mathematical, and philosophical principles rendered in fantastical ways.

In the hotel sequence, you can see that Ariadne's hair is in a tight bun. This was done because for the parts of the sequence where there is no gravity, the filmmakers didn't have to concern themselves with how her hair should move in zero-gravity.

Cobb is only seen wearing his wedding ring in scenes where he perceives Mal to be alive, which is mainly in the dreams.

The score used for the teaser trailer of the film was composed by Mike Zarin and performed by Sencit Music, whilst the scores from the final trailers titled "Mind Heist" were composed and performed by Zack Hemsey.

The use of the Edith Piaf song "Rien de rien" is used as a plot device. Marion Cotillard played Piaf in La vie en rose (2007). Christopher Nolan has stated that this is in fact "pure coincidence". After Cotillard was cast Nolan intended to change the song to eliminate speculation on the subject, but composer Hans Zimmer persuaded him to keep it.

A direct translation of the lyrics for the song "Non, je ne regrette rien" as performed by Edith Piaf is:

"I regret nothing,
no, I have no regrets,
I regret neither the good things I've done nor the bad things,
They are all the same to me,
The past is done, swept away, forgotten,
I don't need the past anymore,
I set my memories on fire,
My horrors, and my pleasures,
I don't need them any more,
Swept away in the agonies of love,
Swept away forever, I leave with nothing..."

Nolan has made a point of saying that he chose the song specifically for the movie, which is heavily concerned with the effect of memories on the psyche, and specifically the disastrous effect that not letting go of memories of love-gone-wrong can have on the subconscious--exactly what the song discusses. Also of note; in the original French, "I regret neither the good things I've done nor the bad things" is "Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait ni le mal," and since Cobb's wife is named Mal, that gives the line a double meaning.

The slow, gloomy, blaring trombones in the main theme of the film score are actually based on an extremely slowed down version of the fast, high pitched trumpets in the beginning of the Edith Piaf song "Non, je ne regrette rien," which is used as a plot device in the film. Furthermore, when music is heard by someone who is currently within a dream, the music is perceived as slowed down. Thus, the main theme of the film score is almost exactly what the beginning of "Non, je ne regrette rien" would sound like to a dreamer. This thematic device is brought to its logical conclusion when the song plays at the end of the credits, signaling that the audience is about to 'wake up' from the film.

Apparently prints of the movie were shipped to theaters under the name "Hour Glass".

This is one interpretations of the movie as proposed by critic Devin Faraci; the movie is as an allegory of the filmmaking process. Saito represents the studio head who orders the project, and who insists on overseeing the work in progress. Arthur, who is responsible for making sure the job is organized and runs smoothly on schedule, is the producer. Cobb, who is in charge of executing the mission, but who brings his own personal dreams, ideas, and agenda into the works, is the director. Ariadne, who is hired by Cobb to design the world of the dream, is the screenwriter. Eames, who impersonates Browning, is the actor. Yusuf, who supplies the team with what they needs to do their work, is the special effects technician. And Fischer is the audience for whom the whole show is put on for.

The fifth Christopher Nolan movie to enter the IMDb Top 250 movies list, along with Memento (2000), Batman Begins (2005), The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008).

In an interview with 'Entertainment Weekly', Christopher Nolan explained that he based roles of the Inception team similar to roles that are used in filmmaking; Cobb is the director, Arthur is the producer, Aridane is the production designer, Eames is the actor, Saito is the studio, and Fischer is the audience. Nolan stated; "In trying to write a team-based creative process, I wrote the one I know."

View below footage of an inside look at Inception:

Interview with director Christopher Nolan:

Interview with Leonardo DiCaprio:

Interview with Joseph Gordon-Levitt:

Still want more, then enter Inception's official website or buy Inception at Amazon and finally I would also highly recommned to any Inception fan the brilliant Inception: The Shooting Script, which is available to buy from Amazon.

Source:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/trivia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inception_(film)

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